Forks Sunshine
by Esmara
Summary: a.k.a. Yet Another Twilight rewrite. Sunny Dwyer-Swan has just moved back in with her dad in the rainy town of Forks to spend the summer before college. It seems just like she left it, except for the people disappearing. And it only gets weirder from there. Can Sunny and her dad solve the mystery of Forks?
1. Chapter 1

_... I have nothing to say for myself. I'm almost done with my second year of college and I need to write about something with a canon I have no shame in throwing out the window. Expect a LOT to be different._

 _Hope you enjoy anyway!_

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Chapter 1: Dad

"This is it, huh?" The house was humble – one floor, shingled roof, less of a lawn and more of a grassy sprawl that crept into the gravel road. Everything smelled damp from the rain that had ended just before we arrived.

My dad walked around the police car to stand next to me, setting one of my suitcases down. He'd hardly spoken on the drive here, and he wasn't speaking now. I nudged him, and when all he did was grunt, I pulled him into a hug.

"Dad, it's just me, you know? It looks just like I remember it." I picked up the suitcase and walked towards the door, before looking at him again. He hadn't moved, and was looking at me with a furrowed brow. "This'll be great, alright? I promise, we can have a movie night and talk about work and everything." That earned a smile on his gruff face, and I felt my own grin widen.

"Alright," he conceded, walking to the door and unlocking it. "I didn't touch any of your stuff, it should all be in place. Dusty."

"Dad, really?" I laughed a bit as I stepped into the house. "You just let it sit there? You could have had a perfectly good guest room!" He shook his head, the smile still there.

"Already have one, don't need two bare rooms in the house." He seemed to have cheered up from the quiet drive here. Good. Dad seemed sad more than he seemed happy a lot of the time, sad or tired. I guess being a police chief will do that, with how much you have to see.

Not that Forks was particularly crime-riddled from what I had looked up. But that was why I was here, wasn't it? After living in the buzzing city of Phoenix for so long with my equally buzzy (wonderful, but buzzy) mother, a quiet, rainy little town like Forks was just what I needed to relax over the summer before college. A little hokey, sure, but that was alright too. Hokey was charming.

I pulled my stuff into my room – everything that was furniture was still in place, but toys and clothes had been cleared out (probably donated), and the colorful My Little Pony blanket I remembered had been replaced on my bed with a dark blue comforter that was too big for it, and spilled over the edges of the mattress.

I took a moment to take it all in – the room, the sun peeking through the clouds into the windows, the crude "SUNNY'S BED" that was still scrawled onto my headboard from when I'd been far too small for the extra long Dad had accidentally bought instead of a twin.

"It's perfect, Dad!" I called, and he grunted. I laughed. Good old Dad always had a way with words. I set my suitcase down and walked back to the car to get the other one. No point in wasting time unpacking, right?


	2. Chapter 2

_Let's see if I can keep up the momentum with this one, shall we? Please give feedback on what you think!_

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Chapter 2: Home Again

Unpacking proved to be easier than I'd expected – it helped my drawers were all empty, and a four-year-old version of me had diligently scribbled labels for what articles of clothing went into each compartment. After about an hour of deciphering my young self's handwriting and getting everything set up, I stepped out of the room to find my dad sitting at the table, a cup of what smelled like coffee in one hand and a newspaper spread out before him.

"Get enough sleep?" He looked up at me, and it took him a moment to answer.

"Yeah," he started, then shook his head, "no, not really. Been having a few missing person cases downtown." He frowned at me, and I couldn't help but smile a bit – even with his serious expression, he looked a bit goofy with the moustache. "Still no leads."

"That's troubling." I walked over to the table and stood next to him to put a hand on his shoulder. "You have today off though, right? Why not take a nap?"

"You just got back." He started to sit up, but I could see the mention of a nap was tempting him.

"And? We have plenty of time to catch up." He took another gulp of his coffee and turned back to me. "I was going to take a walk around the house anyway, get re-acclimated to the area. You don't want to spend your day off chasing your kid around the woods, do you?" He frowned again at the mention of the woods. "Don't worry! I'll have my cell phone with me in case anything happens. C'mon, you need some rest."

The withered look lasted only another few seconds before his shoulders sagged – he looked exhausted. "Great welcome home this is," he grumbled, and I bent down to hug him.

"We can have the welcome home stuff after you get some rest and I stretch my legs." I'd been on that plane for over two hours, and it had been another hour driving home thanks to a series of minor traffic jams. I needed to do some exploring, run around a bit to cure myself of a mild case of stir-crazy.

I waited until I was sure he'd actually fallen asleep on the couch to leave, and made sure to lock the door – Dad's rule, even though the house was literally on the outskirts of Forks. The nearest line of houses I remembered was two blocks lengthwise away.

But I wasn't really interested in walking into town just yet. I turned my attention to the drop-off across from our house – an elevation of earth about seven feet above the road, where it looked like the gravel had just sliced off a chunk of it. The elevated land was covered in trees and moss, and it was quiet enough for me to hear birds.

Just as I remembered. I quickly made my way across and clambered over the dirt – surprisingly well-packed, probably from tree roots weaving together – and into the mass of trees. The rain before had left a faint fog that wafted around the trunks and up to my waist, but just enough light peaked through the treetops for me to see.

The smell of bark and rainfall urged me further inwards. I strolled forward, never making any real turns – I didn't want to get lost on my first day in Forks, did I?

As I made my way further in, I kept an eye out for things I recognized, landmarks. A tree stump, maybe a rotting wooden cross, maybe a doll stuck in a tree I'd remember from wandering around here as a kid. Nothing really jumped out at me. I didn't mind, though – I had all summer to re-learn these woods.

I really should have been paying more attention to what was in front of me instead of trying to recognize patches of forest. I miss-stepped, and-

 _FWUMP!_

"Ow… forgot about the ditch…" Well, the seat of my jeans were muddy now. I pulled myself back up, and shook my head, one hand moving to my pocket – still had my phone, good.

Now where was the exit to the ditch again? And… what was that smell?

I looked down next to me, and a dead dear looked back up. Its head was lolled up and at an unnatural angle, its neck red…

But I could still see some massive teeth marks in its neck.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Threeeee! Please let me know what you think of Sunny so far!_

 _Also, I'm going to be making a few moderations to how vampires work, so this is going even FURTHER in the direction of an AU, oops. XD_

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Chapter 3: In Town

"I forgot about the mountain lions."

That got Dad to look up from his waffles, eyes wide under thick brows. His entire face shifted in worry, and I shook my head. "Don't worry, Dad, I didn't run into one." He swallowed a mouthful of food. "I just saw a dead deer, that's all." His shoulders relaxed, and he nodded.

"Haven't been as many," he said, and turned back to his food. The waffle house was just like I remembered – a bit brighter, perhaps, but the new lights made the place feel more welcoming. I had a stack of pancakes in front of me, and I was about halfway through the second one already. I'd have finished much faster – _man_ was I hungry – except for the older folks every fifteen minutes stopping in their tracks and going " _No,_ is that little Sunny?"

I didn't mind the attention, really – although I'd have preferred to visit everybody on my own time, it was nice to see some old faces (and make reintroductions in some cases – c'mon, who's going to remember everybody in a town they left when they were seven?). They all seemed excited to have me back, although when I asked after a couple of their relatives, their faces would go solemn. Dead, they said quietly, or missing. It was more than a little unnerving – that was five people gone by the time people had stopped coming up to me – but I tried not to show it, aside from a sympathetic comment or hopeful word that hey, maybe they'd turn up okay.

Five people missing, and the deer…

Mountain lions didn't drain their prey of blood, I knew that, but mountain lions were a lot less scary than the alternative, that some crazy was running amok in the woods kidnapping people and drinking blood. Which was a ridiculous notion on its own, but it was the only explanation I had.

I went back to eating my own breakfast, the pancakes melting now that they were saturated in syrup. Still, I kept looking at the tables, trying to see who I could remember. I recognized a few parents of childhood friends, a teacher, and in the booth across from ours…

"Doctor Carlisle!" I was glad I'd already downed my food, because my reaction to seeing the doctor was instantaneous. The doctor looked up at me – he had no food, but the person across from him did – and it took a moment for the smile to appear on his face. He stood up from his booth and walked over, and I mirrored him. I waited until he held his arms up to pull him into a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"Welcome back, Veronica," his voice was the same as when I'd last spoken to him, friendly but authoritative; it was a good doctor voice, I'd always said. He pulled back, expression the same gentle smile I remembered. "You've grown since I last saw you."

"I tend to do that, yes. And I'm still going by Sunny, actually." I couldn't help but laugh. "It's wonderful to be here again. Has the clinic been doing well?"

"As well as I can hope. Any more successful and I'd be worried for the town's health." His hands clasped mine, and the corner of his lip lifted at his own joke. "It is wonderful to have you back, Sunny. Actually…" he gestured to his own booth, where a boy my age was apparently trying to eat a Belgian waffle whole, "my own children just graduated high school as well. Emmett, Alice," he said, "Come meet Officer Swan's daughter, Sunny."

The boy stood and walked over, followed by a girl the same age – she'd been sitting next to Emmett, but she was short enough that I hadn't seen her from where I was standing.

"It's nice to meet you," I held my hand to both of them, and Alice's eyes – a sort of yellow-brown – brightened immediately as she took it.

"The pleasure's mine," Alice said, and smiled at me warmly. "It's wonderful to meet you, Sunny."

"Good to meet ya," Emmet patted me on the shoulder, smile lopsided, "Nice to have somebody appear instead of disappear for once." Alice swatted his arm, and Emmett grinned.

"Here's hoping I don't follow suit, then," I offered, and Emmett's grin turned into a laugh, while Alice sighed.

"Please don't encourage him."

"I like you already!" The pat was much hardier this time. "We'll see you around, alright? Breakfast is getting cold."

"It was nice meeting you!" We went back to our tables, after one last "welcome back" from Doctor Carlisle, and I returned my attention to my pancakes.

"He asked about you," Dad said as I took another bite. "Was excited to hear you were coming back."

"I'm happy to see him," I answered.

It was a few moments later that a chill went down my back, and I instinctively looked up.

Standing across the street and staring into the large windows of the waffle house was a boy with tousled, rusty hair and intense brown eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

FINALLY figured out how to work this story! I did some character rearranging, and like I said before, a LOT is going to be different. Anyone wanna guess what I've changed?

As always, your input is greatly appreciated!

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Chapter 4

The rest of the week went by uneventfully, save a couple more animal corpses in the forest. I'd come across them dumped into the ditch during afternoon walks, all with those same marks on their necks, blood staining the fur surrounding them. I was honestly tempted to think it was some sort of rampaging monkey, but what monkey could take down a deer? …Actually, I could probably think of a few. Maybe it was a monkey. It'd be better than the crazy blood-drinker, anyway.

I hadn't seen that boy around either, and I was honestly glad for that too – even off the chance that we'd met before and he'd recognized me, that look he'd given me had freaked me out. It was like he'd been trying to stare into my soul, so he could figure out how to rip it apart. Dramatic, maybe, but I wasn't the one staring at strangers in windows.

It was Saturday, and for once the sun was shining down, not a cloud in the sky. I gave Dad a kiss on the cheek as I moved about the house.

"Where are you off to?" He didn't move from the table, but smiled between bites of bacon.

"Exploring," I pulled my purse on and went to the door. "I'll be back after lunch, okay?"

"Be careful," he answered, not looking up.

"I will!"

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Exploring ended up turning into a visit to the Forks Mall – a relatively small shopping center, but thankfully not a very full one. No doubt everybody was out enjoying the sun – and I planned to head out too, as soon as I familiarized myself with the place.

Besides, I remembered the mall had this one shop with the _best_ sandwich cookies. How could I pass up that?

I eventually paused my search for snacks to take a lunch break with a big meatball sandwich, and was about halfway through when somebody sat next to me on the bench.

"I haven't seen you here." I looked up from my sandwich at him, and he snorted. "You have some tomato sauce…" he gestured to the corner of his mouth. I grabbed a napkin and wiped where he'd pointed. "There you go."

"Thanks." I glanced at the napkin – the stain was about the size of a quarter. How long had that been there? "And yeah, I just moved here. Moved back, really."

"Ah." He looked so familiar… "By the way, I apologize if I startled you the other day. I'm not used to not recognizing people."

"What are you talking about?" Then it clicked. "Oh, you're that guy I saw at the waffle house! Do you always try to make friends by staring at them really intensely?"

That made him laugh. "No, not usually. Yours was a special case."

"I'm flattered." I could feel myself smiling – he was much less creepy up close and talking. "So what's your name, stranger?"

"Edward." He pushed some hair out of his face – he looked like he'd need a haircut soon.

"Edward what?"

"Only Edward." He shrugged. "You're the police chief's daughter."

"Actually, I'm his secretary." He looked confused, and I laughed. "I'm kidding. Yeah, he's my dad." I held a hand out. "My name's Sunny."

"Nice to meet you, Sunny." He shook it very briefly – had he been holding ice? His hand was cold. I saw a water bottle sitting next to him. Ah, that explained it. "So what brought you to Forks all of a sudden?" He let go of my hand.

"Oh, family stuff." I shrugged, half-smiling. "Mom wanted to travel this summer, I hadn't seen my dad in a while. Seemed like a good time to visit before school, you know?"

"That makes sense." He nodded, then glanced at his watch. "I actually have to meet somebody in a few minutes, but I just wanted to introduce myself. Hope you don't mind."

"Oh, not at all!" He smiled – he had black eyes, dark circles underneath, now that I got a good look at him. "It was nice meeting you, Edward. Glad to know I didn't just randomly piss off some guy in a window." That made him laugh.

"I'll see you around here, then?" I nodded, and he got up, walking off towards one of the stores. _First new friend in Forks,_ I thought to myself, and returned to my sandwich. The rest of the mall proved to have nothing too exciting, although there was an antique store across the street – I'd have to take a look later.

The walk back home was quiet, but an unusual quiet. While it hadn't been that noisy when I first left, it felt different somehow, like things were _afraid_ to make noise. I tried my best to ignore it, and just focus on getting home. I couldn't help sighing in relief when the house came into view, but as I got closer, I could see something on the mailbox a sheet of paper, barely shifting in the breeze.

* * *

Okay, so maybe laughing when I found the warning note wasn't the appropriate response to make.

It was taped to the mailbox, written in smudged Sharpie on a paper towel. "STAY AWAY FROM THE CULLENS" was printed in blocky writing, surrounded by large blotches of ink that could have been botched attempts.

I nearly barked with laughter when I read it. It felt so campy! Even if it had looked more dignified, I couldn't take it seriously. All capitals, no explanation? Really?

I crumpled the note up and shoved it into my pocket – I'd show Doctor Carlisle later. I sure didn't know who had beef with his family, but maybe he would.

"Was there any mail?"

"Yeah, just some envelopes." Dad looked up from his soup when I set them on the table. Stay away from the Cullens? I nearly laughed again. I'd known the doctor since I was a kid, he was one of the most trusted men in Forks. I unfolded the paper again, shaking my head at it.

"Hey Dad?" I asked, crumpling it again, "How's Dr. Cullen been?"

"Hm?" I heard him swallow some soup. "Pretty good, from what I can tell. I think his son just started dating that girl from the car garage. You remember Rosalie?"

"Rose is still here?" I dropped the paper. Rose! I hadn't seen her since we were kids, but we'd been good friends. "I'll have to say hi!"

"Day's still young," Dad shrugged, "you can head over there now." I nodded and grabbed my purse, and grabbed the paper as an afterthought.

"I'll call you when I'm heading back, okay?" Another affirmative grunt, and I was out the door.

The note hadn't said anything about people dating Cullens, had it?


End file.
